T-Mobile USA scorns Verizon spectrum sale offer

NEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm said his company was not interested in wireless airwaves that its biggest rival, Verizon Wireless, has offered to sell.

Verizon Wireless said last month that it would sell spectrum in the 700 megahertz frequency band if U.S. regulators approved its proposed $3.9 billion purchase of spectrum from cable operators, a deal that T-Mobile USA has loudly opposed.

Humm told reporters on a conference call on Thursday that the spectrum Verizon Wireless is proposing to sell is not good enough to help T-Mobile USA.

“For us, this spectrum is not interesting,” said Humm. Some of the spectrum risks interfering with TV stations that occupy nearby spectrum bands, he said.

The interference problems “will most likely take three to six years to resolve, if at all,” Humm said, adding that the remainder of the spectrum being offered does not cover a wide enough area to be useful.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.